Graduate Studies

Graduate Handbook 2007-2008

Advisers and Graduate Administration || Masters of Arts Program || Ph.D. Program in French || Graduate Certificate in Francophone & Post-Colonial Studies Program || Guidelines for Graduate Teaching Associates, Graduate Research Associates, Fellowship Students, and Other Students Receiving Fee Waivers

Welcome

to the Department of French and Italian at The Ohio State University

This handbook contains important information concerning the Department’s graduate programs. Please study it carefully. It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with the rules and regulations of the program. If you have questions about the material it contains, please ask Professor Karlis Racevskis or the Graduate Secretary (Patty Burba 2-9852) for additional assistance.

References to "GSH" refer to the appropriate section of the Graduate School Handbook which is issued by the Graduate School. (See the Graduate School's web page: http://www.gradsch.ohio-state.edu/)

Professor Diane Birckbichler
200 Hagerty Hall
292-4938 or 292-4361
Birckbichler.1@osu.edu

Graduate Faculty advisers for 2007-2008 are as follows:

Students are assigned an adviser, adviser with whom they will normally remain for the duration of their residence. In some circumstances, and with the permission of the Graduate Studies Committee, a student may change advisers. Any changes in adviser must be approved by the French or Italian Graduate Studies Chair/Director.

Graduate Studies Chair
Professor Karlis Racevskis
220 Hagerty Hall
292-6905
Racevskis.1@osu.edu

Graduate Studies Committee
Professors Karlis Racevskis (Chair), Charles Klopp, Sarah-Grace Heller, Eugene Holland, Jennifer Willging

Directors, Undergraduate Language Programs

Masters of Arts Programs

In both the French and Italian Master of Arts programs, students are offered a variety of courses in literature, culture, and linguistics and provided instruction in the technical and interpretive skills necessary for graduate-level research and teaching.

Admission requirements:

1. In accordance with the rules of the Graduate School, admission of students to the program is the dual responsibility of the Graduate School and the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee.
2. Applicants will generally be expected to have majored as undergraduates in the area chosen for graduate study.
3. A cumulative point-hour ration of 3.0 or above (or its equivalent from foreign institutions) is required for work done as an undergraduate. A cumulative point-hour ratio of 3.3 (or its equivalent from foreign institutions) is required for work done at the graduate level.
4. The Graduate Record Examination is required of all applicants who are graduates of North American institutions. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (with a score of 550 or above) or the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (with a score of 82 or above) is required of all graduates of institutions of other countries, with the exception of those whose degree was earned in an English-speaking country.
5. To fulfill the Spoken English Requirement, new international graduate students for whom English is not the first language must certify their proficiency in spoken English before assuming GTA duties involving direct student contact. They may become certified by scoring acceptably on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) (taken before coming to OSU) or the SPEAK test or, in some cases, by passing the mock-teaching test (both of which are given at OSU). Students whose English is not certified cannot be employed to teach in the Department.

General requirements:

The Graduate School requires a minimum of 45 hours of graduate-level course work and a Master's examination for the degree of M.A. The Department requires that all Graduate Teaching Associates (GTA) take French or Italian 801 in addition to the 45 hours required by the Graduate School.

Graduate Teaching Associates are required to take French 801 or Italian 801 in their first quarter of graduate study. They must also register for two additional courses during autumn quarter. In subsequent quarters, students are expected to enroll in two or more courses per quarter. There will be a proficiency examination in French or Italian for all incoming M.A. students in the Autumn quarter. Aural comprehension, written and oral skills will be tested. The student may be required to take supplementary language courses. International GTAs must meet the English-language requirements of the Graduate School (see above) and take any required tests.

The M.A. programs are designed as two-year programs. According to the guidelines of the graduate School, all work must be completed within six years. GTA and GRA support is limited to two years.

The M.A. Program in French

The Master of Arts program in French is designed to give students both a broad background in French studies and advanced skills in research and critical thinking. In conjunction with their advisers, students will plan a program of study that builds upon their undergraduate education and allows them to develop a broad understanding of important developments in French and Francophone studies.

French 883 (Introduction to Graduate Study of French Literature) is required of all M.A. students and must be taken during the first quarter of the first year of study. This course will not be applied to the minimum hour requirement for any area of concentration. Graduate Teaching Associates are required to take French 801 (Teaching French at the College Level), credit for which will not be applied to the minimum hour requirement for any area of concentration. Following a placement test in French, some students may be required or advised to take one or more 600-level language courses; these courses will not be applied to the minimum area requirement for any area of concentration.

All graduate students must be computer literate-i.e., they must be able to use an appropriate word-processing program for all written work in the department, including the M.A. examination. Students not familiar with word processing and computers must take an appropriate course or receive appropriate training during their first quarter of graduate work.

With the exception of 600-level courses in film, francophone studies, and culture, no more than 20 credit hours of 600-level courses may count for credit towards completion of the M.A. degree. The inclusion of all 600-level courses in the program of study must have the approval of the M.A. adviser. With the approval of the student’s adviser and concurrence of the Department Graduate Studies Committee, up to ten (10) hours of graduate credit may be taken in related fields outside the French program. Courses taken outside the French program should not be applied to the minimum requirement (15 hours) for any of the areas of concentration. No more than 5 hours of independent study are permitted to count as part of the required 45 hours of course work. Independent studies do not count towards area requirements except with the approval of the M.A. advisor when a required course has been unavailable.

The M.A. in French has 10 areas of study

1. Medieval literature
2. Renaissance literature
3. 17th-century literature
4. 18th-century literature
5. 19th-century literature
6. 20th-century literature
7. Francophone literature
8. Language, translation, and linguistics
9. Culture
10. Film

Students choose three (3) areas of concentration from the 10 areas. One area of concentration must be chosen from areas 1) through 5), and one area must be chosen from areas 6) through 10). (The third area of concentration may be any area of study on the list.) Students must take 10 credit hours in each area of concentration (30 credit hours). One of the two courses should be a 700- or 800-level course, whenever possible. Three additional courses (fifteen additional credit hours) must be taken in three different areas that are NOT the chosen areas of concentration.

The M.A. examination will be a nine-hour written examination: three hours for each area of concentration.

M.A. Examinations

Examination Quarter Enrollment:

The M.A. examination is given once a year during Spring Quarter and is normally taken by students at the end of their second year. Students are expected to demonstrate thorough knowledge of their chosen areas of concentration, critical and analytic skills, and fluency in French. Petitions to take the examination at a time other than Spring Quarter must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee and are only likely to be approved in extraordinary circumstances. There will be no M.A. examinations given during Summer Quarter. Students will take the M.A. examination on a day scheduled by the M.A. adviser(s). If holding a graduate appointment (i.e., GRA, GAA, or GTA), students are required by contract to enroll in at least nine hours of graduate credit and may, during their examination quarter, register for one course and complete the remaining hours with 999 credit. NOTE: students not employed as GRAs, GAAs, or GTAs need only register for a minimum of three hours of graduate credit in their examination quarter.

Reading List:

No later than spring quarter of the first year of study (and preferably before), students will meet with the M.A. adviser to decide upon the three major areas of concentration.

Each area of specialization in the department has a relevant core reading list and each list represents the core texts with which M.A. students should be familiar. These reading lists are guides for the preparation of the reading lists for each area of concentration. Additions and substitutions will be made based on discussions between students and professors in the areas of specialization, as well as on relevant course work.

No later than autumn quarter of the second year of study (and preferably before), students will have selected their advisers for each area of concentration (depending upon the areas, this means one or two professors for each area) and will have finalized their exam reading lists.

Master of Arts Examination Procedure:

The M.A. examination has two parts: one written and one oral. Graduate students will have three hours to complete the M.A. written examinations in each specialty area (nine hours in all). At least one part of the examination is to be written in French and one part in English.

1. The M.A. adviser chairs the M.A. examination.
2. The Chair of the M.A. examination is responsible for soliciting and collecting the questions for the written examination from the other members of the examining committee. If necessary, the Chair may solicit questions from area specialists other than those who sit on the examining committee.
3. The examining committee is appointed by the M.A. adviser and normally consists of two to five faculty members. All members of the M.A. Examination Committee will be present during the entire oral portion.
4. The examining committee is fully responsible for scoring or evaluating the answers. Only the M.A. Examination Committee members are to be present for discussion of the student’s performance and the decision about the outcome. The student will be informed of the decision in the presence of the committee. All other regulations pertaining to the M.A. degree will be those of the graduate school.
5. Conduct of the written and oral examinations:
   1. All written M.A. examinations will be monitored.
   2. No books (including dictionaries) or papers will be allowed.
   3. The oral examination will be 45 to 60 minutes long. It will not be restricted to the material treated in the written part of the examination and may cover any topics on the pertinent Reading List.
   4. At least one part of the oral examination will be conducted in French and at least one part in English.

If a student in the M.A. program has applied for the department’s PhD program (see PhD program, below, for more information), the graduate faculty in the department will make a decision on his/her candidacy after successful completion of the M.A. examination. All other regulations pertaining to the Master’s degree will be those of the Graduate School (for more information, see the Graduate School's web page).

M.A. Exam Description
The Master of Arts Program and Examinations in Italian

(revised March 2004)

The Master of Arts in Italian has three areas of study:

1. Medieval and Renaissance Literature
2. Modern and Contemporary Literature
3. Language and Linguistics.

Students who are Graduate Teaching Associates are also required to take Italian 801 (Teaching Italian at the College Level); credit for this course, however, does not count towards fulfillment of the MA degree requirements. The Master’s Examination in Italian will be based on the courses offered by the Department during each student’s residence.

Students will take the MA examination on a day scheduled by the MA adviser. If holding a graduate appointment as a GTA, GRA, or GAA, they are required by contract to enroll in at least nine hours of graduate credit. Note: students not under contract need only register for a minimum of three hours of graduate credit in their examination quarter.

The MA examinations will have both a written and an oral component. The written portion of the MA Examination in Italian consists of three three-hour parts, one for each area of study. All students will write at least one part of the MA examination in Italian.

Students presenting a thesis will submit the thesis to the MA Examination Committee at least ten days before the date when MA exams are scheduled to begin and will take a one-hour oral examination on the thesis in addition to the regular oral examination.

The Oral examination for all students will last one hour. During this final part of the examination students will be examined on the results of their written exams. All members of the MA Examination committee will be present during the entire oral portion. Only the MA Examination Committee members are to be present for discussion of the student's performance and the decision about the outcome.

At the conclusion of the MA examination and in the absence of the student, the faculty committee conducting the examination will determine if the student has satisfactorily passed the MA examination. In the case of a negative decision, the Graduate School will be notified. All other regulations pertaining to the Master's degree will be those of the Graduate School.

The Ph.D Program in French

and Graduate Certificate in Francophone & Post-Colonial Studies Program

The Department offers a doctoral program in French that gives the student an opportunity to achieve a high level of scholarly competence and to develop the capacity to contribute original knowledge to the field. The path towards the Ph.D. degree follows a natural progression from course work to candidacy to dissertation. Normally the PhD is a four-year program. After two years of coursework, the candidacy examinations take place no later than autumn or winter quarter of the third year. The dissertation prospectus should be submitted in the quarter following the candidacy examinations. In exceptional cases, a 5th year of support may be awarded (see below).

Admission:

1. Admission of students to the program is the dual responsibility of the Graduate School and the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee in accordance with the rules of the Graduate School; see Graduate School Handbook (GSH, II.1.1-6).
2. A minimal requirement for entrance to the Ph.D. program is a Master's degree or equivalent graduate work in the area of specialization. Students who complete their Master of Arts in the Department and wish to continue into the doctoral program must apply to do so in a letter addressed to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee by February 15 of the year in which they intend to begin their Ph.D. studies. Admission to Ph.D. status will be determined by faculty vote after the student has completed the M.A. examination.
3. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants who are graduates of North American institutions.
4. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (with a score of 550 or above) or the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (with a score of 82 or above) is required of all applicants from countries where the first language is not English, unless a degree was earned in a primary English-speaking country.
5. All applicants who received their M.A. from an institution other than the Ohio State University must submit an example of their scholarly or critical writing in French. A paper prepared during the M.A. program would be appropriate. All graduate students must be computer literate—i.e., they must be able to use an appropriate word-processing program for all written work in the department, including the PhD examination. Students not familiar with word processing and computers must take an appropriate course during their first quarter of graduate work.

Adviser:

1. A minimum of 135 quarter hours beyond the B.A. (or 90 graduate credit hours beyond the M.A.) is required to earn a doctoral degree. A student must be registered for at least three credit hours during the quarter(s) of the Candidacy Examination, the quarter of the Final Oral Examination, and the quarter of expected graduation (GSH, II.6.2-4)
   
   Note: Those holding a graduate associateship (GTA, GAA or GRA) must register for a minimum of nine credit hours per quarter; twelve credit hours during post-candidacy quarters. Audit credit does not count toward these requirements.
2. Residence: a period of concentrated graduate study beyond the M.A. during which (a) a minimum of 45 credit hours and (b) a minimum of three out of four consecutive quarters with an enrollment of at least ten graduate credit hours per quarter are completed at this university (GSH, II.6.2).
3. Successful completion of a Candidacy Examination no later than two quarters prior to graduation (GSH, II.6.4).
4. After successful completion of the Candidacy Examination and admission to candidacy, a minimum of 20 graduate credit hours over a period of two quarters (usually taken under 999) are required.

Departmental Requirements:

1. All doctoral candidates must complete required coursework, pass a Candidacy Examination (with a written and an oral component), present an acceptable dissertation, and pass a final oral examination on the dissertation and the designated special areas of research.
2. Third Language Requirement: Candidates are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of Latin, German an additional Romance language or any other language related to the student’s areas of study, subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. This may be done by passing an examination given by the pertinent department, or by passing Latin, German, or Spanish 571-572, Italian and Portuguese 101, 102, and 103, with a grade of "B" or better (the 100-level series may not be substituted for 500-level courses in departments where the latter exist, although students are free to take any additional courses on their own). Credit hours taken to satisfy the Language Requirement cannot be counted toward those required for the degree (GSH). II.3.1.4 With the approval of the student's adviser and the Graduate Studies Committee, another language may be substituted if it is centrally related to the proposed areas of dissertation research.

Note: For incoming Ph.D. candidates, there will be a proficiency examination. Aural comprehension, written and speaking skills will be tested. This examination is usually administered at the beginning of Autumn Quarter. The student may be required to take appropriate language course which will not count toward the credit hour requirement for the PhD.

Selection of Program:

For purposes of the Ph.D. in French, the Department offers the following areas of specialization:

1. Medieval literature
2. Renaissance literature
3. 17th-century literature
4. 18th-century literature
5. 19th-century literature
6. 20th-century literature
7. Francophone and/or Post-Colonial Studies in French

8. A genre or mode
9. Criticism and Theory
10. Culture
11. Film
12. Major Author or Critical Problem
13. Linguistics and Language
14. Another field or genre, within or without the Department, to be chosen in consultation with the student's adviser -- for example, another literature (which may be limited by period, such as 19th-century Italian), history (which may be limited by period), Women's Studies, fine arts, etc.

Program Guidelines:

While we encourage our Ph.D. students to begin thinking of their main area of specialization and even of an eventual dissertation as early as possible in their program, we also want them to keep in mind the realities of the job market they will eventually enter. To that end, they should take a broad range of courses throughout their degree program in order to establish a familiarity with areas of French literature, language and film studies, as well as culture outside the domain of their specialization. Universities hiring at the Assistant Professor level today tend to favor more and more frequently candidates with solid pedagogical training and teaching experience and with at least two areas of teaching expertise. These areas might include general survey courses as well as interdisciplinary courses involving programs of women's, multicultural/ethnic, film, and comparative literature studies.

The normal course-load is two courses per quarter - with the exception of the first quarter in the program, when entering students normally take one course in addition to 801 and 883.

Course Requirements:

Beyond course work counted toward the Master of Arts degree, Ph.D. candidates are required to take French 801 (Teaching French at the College Level), and French 885 (Introduction to Contemporary Critical Theory. In specialty areas 1-7, five courses must be taken in five different areas (totaling a minimum of 25 credit hours). At least 35 additional credit hours of course work are required. Appropriate consideration should be given to subjects related to the areas chosen for the Candidacy Examination. Normally, at least two courses beyond the M.A. for each area of specialization are required.

In selecting courses, please note that Ph.D. students are expected to take 700- and 800-level courses whenever possible. No more than four courses taken outside the Department (at no lower than the 500 level) and no more than 10 credit hours of French 893 (Independent Study) may be counted toward the Ph.D. Independent Study may not be used to satisfy an area requirement without approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. Independent Study courses should be taken only as a last resort when regularly scheduled courses are unavailable.

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program who by-pass the M.A. degree must fulfill the specific course requirements for the M.A., and students who have received their M.A. elsewhere must take the courses required for the Department's M.A. program if they have not taken comparable courses at the graduate level, evaluated as equivalent by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Candidacy Examination:

The Department's Candidacy Examination includes a written and an oral portion. The written examination is divided into three parts, a major area (selected from areas 1-12 above) and two minor areas (selected from areas 1-14). Three different numbered areas must be chosen. At least one part of the examination (either major or minor) must be a historical period chosen from areas 1-6. While not all three areas for the Candidacy Examination need to relate directly to the dissertation project, their choice should facilitate and accelerate the preparatory stage for dissertation research, allowing students to submit and defend a prospectus during the quarter following the Candidacy Examination.

The various genres or modes possible in area 8--such as poetry, prose, fiction, drama, autobiography, epic, romance, and irony--are understood to be areas of study that would span several of the usual historical and/or cultural boundaries.

Examinations in area 12 are governed by the following principles. There is no official departmental canon of major authors; but the assumption is that such an author will be one with a substantial body of literary work in French. The critical problem chosen must not be a subset of one of the other two examination areas. Problems chosen for this examination should have sufficient scope to extend the student's reading list beyond matters relating to a single text or author. Students wishing to take an exam that differs in any way from the principles outlined for category 12 must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for permission.

In regard to area 14, students who expect to work in "another field" outside the Department of French and Italian--and who may, for example, require a faculty member from another department on his or her Advisory Committee--should, in consultation with the Ph.D. Adviser, make appropriate arrangements soon after acceptance into the doctoral program.

At the start of preparation for the Candidacy Examination, the major adviser, in consultation with the student, forms an Advisory Committee (consisting of no fewer than two faculty members from the Department of French and Italian) that includes the major adviser, one adviser for each of the two minor areas and one additional faculty member. The student then prepares, with the approval of the Advisory Committee, working lists of the readings for which he or she expects to be held responsible. All members of the Committee must approve all the lists and ensure that adequate breadth is achieved. All finalized reading lists must be submitted to the Advisory Committee no later than one quarter before the scheduled examination. In addition to his or her role as examiner for the major area, the faculty member may or may not write questions but will always serve as an examiner during the oral. This fourth member may or may not necessarily be in the fields represented on the examination but should be conversant with the material in at least one field. The specific format of the examination is determined by the student and the members of the Advisory Committee and consists of 50% in the major area and 25% in each of the two minor areas, followed by a two-hour oral portion. The major examination will be an open-book take-home examination picked up the Department on a Friday at 4:30 p.m. and returned to the Department by 8:30 a.m. the following Monday. The completed draft of this part of the examination should be 20-30 double-spaced typed pages in length. The two minor examinations will also be open-book take-home examinations picked up on a Friday at 4:30 p.m. and returned to the Department by 8:30 the following Monday. In cases where a weekend proves inconvenient, the examination may be taken over any other comparable two-day period of time.

Written examinations must be done on computers. Print-outs must include page numbers and, in the case of French, the appropriate accents. During the period between the written and oral examinations, students should re-read all sections and prepare to defend them during the oral examination.

Candidacy Examination Oral: The oral part of the Candidacy Examination will consist of a two-hour examination on the written part and the chosen areas of specialization. Students must bring a copy of their written examination to the Oral. At least one part of the oral examination must be conducted in French and at least one part in English. The Candidacy Examination Committee will be made up of the Committee plus a representative chosen by the Graduate School (GSH, II.6.6). The student has successfully completed the Candidacy Examination only when the decision of the General Examination Committee is unanimously affirmative (GSH, II.6.7). In order for students to dedicate all their time to the preparation of their examinations and still meet the minimum credit-hour requirements of the Graduate School, they may, during the quarter of the oral examination and the preceding quarter, enroll in nine credit hours of 999 if they are GTAs or 12 credit hours of 999 if they hold fellowships (see GSH, II.2.1). This schedule adjustment may be done only once.

Both the written and oral portions of the Candidacy Examination will be taken and completed within the same quarter or two consecutive quarters of the same academic year. There will be no Ph.D. examinations given or taken during the Summer Quarter.

Candidacy: Provided that the student is in good standing (GSH, II.6.8) at the end of the quarter in which the Candidacy Examination is satisfactorily completed, he or she will be admitted to candidacy for a doctoral degree. After being admitted to candidacy, a student has five years to complete the dissertation. (GSH, II.6.8.1). If the dissertation is not completed within five years, the Department is required by the Graduate School to re-administer the Candidacy Examination.

After completing the candidacy examination, any graduate student holding a 50% associateship appointment MUST enroll for at least 12 credit hours per quarter.

Fifth year of support: While the PhD degree is designed as a 4 year program, doctoral students may request a 5th year of GTA/GRA/GAA support. The 5th year of support is not guaranteed, and is awarded, on a competitive basis, only when the candidate has made sufficient progress towards completion of the dissertation to merit such support. The deadline for application for a 5th year of support is the end of Winter quarter of the 4th year of doctoral study. To be eligible for the 5th year, students must have defended the prospectus by the end of the Winter quarter.

Dissertation:

The dissertation is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student's area of research and specialization. It should demonstrate both knowledge of the field of study and an ability to work independently.

Dissertation Committee: After successful completion of the Candidacy Examination, the student and his or her adviser will form a Dissertation Committee consisting of three or more graduate faculty members, including the adviser, who will serve as chair of the Committee. (For additional requirements pertaining to the Dissertation and the Dissertation Committee, consult GSH, II.6.9).

Prospectus: The student will prepare a written prospectus of the dissertation topic in consultation with members of the Dissertation Committee and present it for approval at a formal one hour meeting of the Dissertation Committee, arranged by the adviser and chaired by the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee. The prospectus should contain a detailed description of the scope and methodology of the proposed dissertation, an outline of the contents, and a bibliography. It may also include an introductory chapter. The formal presentation of the prospectus should be scheduled before the end of the first quarter following successful completion of the Candidacy Examination. It is the responsibility of the student to deliver copies of the prospectus to all members of the Committee and the Graduate Chair no later than ten days before the meeting.

Changes in a Dissertation: If there are changes in topic, scope, or methodology, which substantially modify a dissertation, a revised prospectus must be submitted for approval to the Dissertation Committee and the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Schedule for Approval of a Dissertation:

1. Readers' Copies: In order to ensure that the readers have sufficient time to read the dissertation and that the candidate has sufficient time to make possible changes in the manuscript, the provisional first draft must be in the hands of the readers by the beginning of the second week of the quarter in which the degree is sought. For important further details about timing, see (GSH II.6.9).
2. The Final Oral Examination will not be scheduled until the adviser and the readers have approved the first draft by signing the Draft Approval Form. At that time, the student must also submit the complete, typed dissertation to the Graduate School for format review. (GSH, II.6.10).
3. The Final Oral Examination Committee is composed of the Dissertation Committee, plus the Graduate School Representative (GSH, II.6.10).
4. It is the responsibility of the candidate to deliver a copy of the approved dissertation draft to the Graduate School Representative no later than one week before the Final Oral Examination.
5. The student is considered to have completed the Final Oral Examination successfully only when the vote by the Final Oral Examination Committee is unanimously affirmative.

Guidelines Concerning the Language Used in Examinations and Dissertations:

1. It is expected that every candidate will have a satisfactory knowledge of both French and English.
2. Examinations and dissertations may be written in French or English (such determinations to be made by the Advisory Committee in consultation with the student). In the case of examinations, students must at some point, such as the oral, demonstrate their mastery of both languages.
3. The Department will request that the Graduate School Representative be competent in French.

Graduate Certificate in Francophone & Post-Colonial Studies Program

The Graduate Certificate in Francophone and Postcolonial Studies is designed to offer a coherent and structured program of study to doctoral students whose principal focus is either metropolitan French literature or another discipline (Education, Women's Studies, Comparative Studies, History, etc.), but whose subsidiary interest is the imaginative writings and the cultures of the French speaking world. The certificate is not meant for students in French specializing in francophone literature.

The program will offer three geo cultural areas of concentration:

1. North Africa and the Middle East
2. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean
3. North America (Quebec)

Alternatively, students may choose to concentrate on a topic (for example women's writing, autobiography) that cuts across these regions.

Admission requirements:

In accordance with the rules of the Department of French and Italian, admission of students to the program is the responsibility of the Departmental Certificate committee, which is made up of the French Graduate Studies chair and two [francophone studies] faculty members.

Applicants will generally be expected to write a letter of application stating reasons and goals for undertaking the certificate program, and of a plan of courses that meets the program's requirements.

Applicants are expected to have been admitted to, and enrolled in, a Ph.D degree program in the university and to be in good standing in the home department and the Graduate School, that is, maintenance of a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

(For students outside the Department of French and Italian) a good reading and speaking knowledge of French, to be determined by passing a special examination equivalent to French 572 administered by the department, and by an oral interview with a Certificate Committee representative.

Each student will have an adviser from the Certificate Committee.

General requirements:

The Graduate School requires for the Graduate Certificate in Francophone and Post-Colonial Studies (as for all graduate certificates) a minimum of forty five credit hours of graduate-level work. Twenty two of these hours must be courses that are offered by the student's home department and that count towards the student's degree, and the remaining twenty three hours must be taken in other departments.

For students in French, these remaining courses should be relevant to the program, and may be selected from a pre-approved list, and/or from additional courses (individual studies, or topics courses for example), as approved by the Certificate Committee in consultation with the student's adviser.

For students outside French, these remaining courses will be primarily francophone literature, culture and theory courses.

All students will be expected to take:

• Two French 657 courses
• Two French 828 (or a French 792 if appropriate) seminars

An independent study of two, five credit hours for the revision and completion of the research paper which is a requirement of the program.

Graduate Certificate Examinations Procedure:

The final examination will take the form of an oral defense of the research paper.

The Graduate Studies Chair chairs the examination committee.

The Committee will normally consist of three members: the Graduate Studies Chair, the student’s adviser/area specialist, and a third faculty member. The certificate will be awarded only on completion of the Ph.D. The Graduate School will certify that the student has completed all the requirements pertaining to certificate programs.

Guidelines for Graduate Teaching Associatese, Graduate Research Associates, Graduate Research Associates, Fellowship Students, and Other Students Receiving Fee Waivers

mod. 6/04

The Department of French and Italian awards a number of Graduate Teaching Associateships each year to students who are preparing an M.A. or Ph.D. The position of Graduate Teaching Associate carries with it important responsibilities. Chief among these is the maintenance of a proper balance between studies, the first priority for the Associate, and teaching. In order to retain an Associateship, the student must, in the opinion of the faculty, be making reasonable progress towards completion of the degree sought, and have demonstrated effective teaching. Teaching Associates may not accept additional employment in excess of ten hours per week.

1. Initial Appointment
   1. All Graduate Associates must be enrolled in the Graduate School. Applicants for an Associateship who are not enrolled must make simultaneous application for admission. The awarding of an Associateship is contingent upon such admission. In the Winter Quarter of each year a faculty committee evaluates all applications, taking into account academic achievement, letters of recommendation, previous experience either in the use of the language (travel, study abroad, etc.) or in teaching (elementary, secondary, tutoring, etc.), and any other information which seems useful and pertinent.
   2. Offers for new Associateships are normally made in early spring for the following academic year. A student who accepts an appointment is still free to resign until April 15, after which he or she is obligated not to accept another appointment without obtaining formal release from this Department. At times, the Department may have to make additional appointments after this date, in which case an effort will be made to complete all arrangements by the end of the Summer Quarter.
2. Workload
   1. It is expected that a graduate student who is a Graduate Associate will register for two courses in the Department each quarter. In most cases this will mean 10 hours; in some, 9 hours, a portion of which has been completed in workshops held before the start of the quarter. It is understood that incoming Graduate Associates will take two courses in addition to 801 during the Autumn Quarter of their first year.
   2. In Autumn Quarter of their first year of residence Graduate Teaching Associates must enroll in 801 (Teaching French/Italian at the College Level), visit demonstration classes regularly, and consult periodically with teaching supervisors about their progress as teachers.
   3. A Graduate Teaching Associate is normally assigned to teach one five-credit course per quarter. This is called a 50% appointment. GRA's and GTA's are expected to work 20 hours per week for a 50% appointment.
   4. Graduate Teaching Associates work under the direction and with the guidance of faculty supervisors. For each section to which they are assigned, they have the responsibility of preparing classes, holding office hours, attending staff meetings, grading, and, in general, performing those tasks which are expected of a university teacher. Such out-of-class duties require about fifteen (15) hours per week.
   5. When circumstances warrant, the Chair may invite post-candidacy students to teach at the 200 or 400 course level. To be eligible to teach such a course in the department, students must have successfully completed the relevant 903 Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship course and have achieved an excellent record of teaching.
3. Evaluation of Performance
   1. Graduate Associates' teaching contracts are renewed by the Chairperson of the Department upon the recommendation of the faculty of the Department, which meets for this purpose during each Spring Quarter. These recommendations are based on evaluations of the Associate's performance as both teacher and student.
   2. All Graduate Teaching Associates are periodically visited in their classrooms by a teaching supervisor. The purpose of such visits is to evaluate the Associate's performance as a teacher and to offer helpful advice when this is deemed necessary. After each classroom visit, the supervisor meets with the GTA to discuss his/her performance and fills out a GTA Teaching Evaluation. The report is then discussed with each GTA by his or her supervisor. Thereafter, it is retained in Departmental files. During each Spring Quarter, a summary of the Teaching Evaluation Reports for each GTA is presented by the supervisor to the faculty of the Department.
   3. GTA Academic Evaluation Reports are also prepared for each GTA by their professors. The primary purpose of these reports is to provide graduate students with specific information about their performance in courses taken during the year, but they also assist in the evaluation of such performance as a basis for recommendations for the renewal or termination of GTA contracts. Like the Teaching Evaluation Reports, these evaluations are also forwarded in summary form to the faculty for their Spring meetings, in this instance by the GTA's academic (M.A. or Ph.D.) adviser.
      
      After the Spring meetings have taken place, the advisers meet with the Associates to discuss the Academic Evaluation Reports and to pass along any advice or suggestions that the faculty may have for the Associates.
4. Extra-Departmental Teaching Associates
   1. Awarding of Teaching Associateships to students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Foreign Language Education is based upon staffing needs and each applicant's potential for effective teaching. As with all new Graduate Teaching Associates, Extra-Departmental Associates must enroll during the Autumn Quarter of their first year of teaching in 801 (Teaching French/Italian at the College Level). During their first year of teaching, they are required, additionally, to take at least one additional Departmental five-hour graduate course. In each subsequent year of appointment they are required to take a minimum of ten (10) credit hours in the Department of French and Italian.
   2. Previous support as a Teaching Associate in another department of The Ohio State University will be counted in calculating time of support in the Department of French and Italian. A student who has exhausted his or her time of support in another department could be given an appointment in the Department of French and Italian, as long as the total amount of support received while enrolled at The Ohio State University does not exceed guidelines established by the College of Humanities or the Graduate School. Otherwise, all conditions outlined in Sections A-H above apply equally to Extra Departmental Teaching Associates, with the following exception: Letters of appointment and reappointment are normally sent no later than May 15 each year. Acceptance or rejection by the candidate must be received in written form by the Chairperson no later than June 1. The letter of acceptance is considered binding upon the individual and cannot be rescinded without the approval of the Chairperson.
   3. Maximum support for an Extra-Departmental Teaching Associate who is working on a Ph.D. will be four years beyond the M.A. Students must have satisfied all course requirements in their home departments (the equivalent in French and Italian is successful completion of the Candidacy Examinations) to be eligible for a fourth-year appointment. Students who have satisfied all course requirements in their home departments may take one year of 999 (total of ten hours) in French and Italian. Extra-Departmental Teaching Associates who have taken one year of 999 in French and Italian must register for two courses each subsequent year of employment in the Department regardless of the number of years of support they have had.
   4. The following are guidelines for appointing GTAs from Foreign Language Education:
      1. On or before April 15 of each year Foreign Language Education faculty will be asked to submit a list to the Department of five or six names in French for consideration as Extra-departmental Teaching Associates for the following academic year. A complete copy of the student's Graduate School file must also be forwarded to the Dept.
      2. Candidates for Extra-departmental Teaching Associates will be considered by the appropriate GTA Selection Committees who will select a maximum of two GTAs in French. In some years no extra-departmental appointments will be made, depending on need and budget considerations. Should an individual decline the offer, the French GTA Selection Committee will review the original set of names to find a replacement.
      3. The Department reserves the right to offer one (or no) positions from the names submitted and to request additional names.
      4. Priority will be given to those candidates planning a minor in French (e.g., literature, language, linguistics, or culture).
      5. Reappointment will be contingent upon satisfactory academic and teaching performance. The same reappointment rules apply to Foreign Language Education GTAs as to those in the Department of French and Italian.
      6. The total number of Foreign Language Education GTAs should not exceed 6. Thus, it is possible that in some years no new appointments will be made.

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